


Pokémon: Reaching Destiny

by Lunarelle



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Pokémon in the Real World, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 11:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18207905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarelle/pseuds/Lunarelle
Summary: What would you do if Pokémon suddenly appeared in your world? This is the story of Summer, a teenage girl who goes off on an adventure with her friends to explore the mysteries surrounding these new and exciting creatures. Together, they will meet new people, and reach a destiny they never thought existed. Rated a strong PG-13. Adventure/Romance/Friendship. There will be a pairing!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer
> 
> The creatures referred herein as Pokémon do not belong to me, but to The Pokémon Company/Nintendo. I make no money from this venture, and I'm only doing this for fun.
> 
> This is based on the anime and on Pokémon Go, so I mention teams, but not just the regular Team Mystic, Valor, and Instinct: there are many others that you will encounter, should you decide to keep reading.
> 
> Now, the idea for the additional teams did not come from me. I saw some fan art, which immediately triggered my imagination, and I want to credit the artist here: Seoxys Art. Some of the teams are of her creation, and some of them are mine, but the idea was hers. I just elaborated on it.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Lunarelle

**Prologue**

The Pokémon showed up practically overnight. Nobody understood where they'd come from, only that one day there weren't any, and the next day, there they were, mingling with many other animals.

It wasn't just a phenomena restricted to one area, no. It was worldwide. From the Sea of Japan, which had suddenly been invaded by Tentacruel and Lanturn, to Texas, where Tauros and Bouffalant were prevalent.

People couldn't understand how it had suddenly happened, but they had been thrilled to have new living beings to examine. Universities suddenly began research on all of the new creatures, which had such amazing powers. Some of them were deemed to be harmless enough, like Pidgey, while others were known to be very dangerous to people.

"I still find it amazing that they showed up out of nowhere."

The woman who had spoken looked at her daughter, a sixteen-year-old teenager who was getting ready to go on a Pokémon journey to learn more about them.

"We all do, Mom," she said. "But they're here now, so we have to make the best of it. I mean, you can't deny the fact that they've greatly helped the world."

It was true. Ever since they had showed up, people had been too flabbergasted by them to quarrel in their usual ways. Conflicts hadn't exactly gone away, but people, even terrorists, had found themselves enthralled with Pokémon, and had started studying them and their benefits.

People in remote areas has been delighted to find that electric Pokémon such as Magnemite could power a house for no cost at all, other than the cost of feeding them. People in harsher climates found that having a water Pokémon could help them grow crops much faster, and people in colder countries were really grateful to have fire Pokémon around.

"Yes. But not everyone appreciates them, Summer."

"Well, I sure do!" said Summer, tying her long dark hair in a ponytail.

"Are you going to do what your cousin did, and collect thirty Pokémon for yourself?"

Summer smiled at her mother, "Why not? They're a lot of fun, you know, and if I collect enough of them, I'll be able to be a Pokémon Researcher. That would be so cool!"

Almost giddy at the prospect, Summer ran to her room, where she'd packed a bag. She and two of her best friends would be spending a couple of months going around the country to look for Pokémon. Summer's father had recently bought an RV that would be perfect for their needs, and he was allowing them to use it so that they wouldn't always have to stay in hotels, which would get expensive.

Her phone rang just as she was putting on her favorite pair of black shorts. She answered on the third ring.

It was Ella, one of her best friends who would be going with her on the journey.

"Are you almost ready?" she screeched.

"Calm down!" cried Summer, laughing. "I said I'd pick you up at seven-thirty, and it's not even seven yet!"

"But we have to go get our Pokémon!"

Summer tried not to roll her eyes. It was June 20th, which was the day to get one's starter Pokémon. Every sixteen-year-old registered as a trainer in the United States had to get their Pokémon by that exact date if they were interested in going on their own journey and participating in the tournaments for their teams. Summer had been looking forward to that day for several years, ever since she'd realized the things she could do with Pokémon. Since her decision, she had worked as hard as she could in school, making sure to get the best grades possible so that her parents wouldn't be able to stop her from going.

"I know. I'm excited too. But the Pokémon Center won't open until nine o'clock. Anyway, I'm almost ready to go, don't worry. I'll see you soon!"

She hung up a few minutes later, and continued getting dressed, putting on a black shirt with a sparkly silver Poké Ball on the front, thigh-high black socks and black and silver sneakers. Her heart hammered in her chest with excitement.

"Do you know which Pokémon you're going to choose?" her mother asked her when she came downstairs again, this time hauling her duffel bag and backpack.

"Actually, Mom, you don't get to choose your first Pokémon. It's assigned to you. I don't really know how it works, though, because people don't talk about it. But I do know that three different types that you could get: fire, water, and grass."

"And which Pokémon could you get?"

"Oh, you could get one of twenty-one starter Pokémon, so there are a lot to choose from. I know that Ella would love to have a water Pokémon."

"What about Megan?"

"Flying."

Summer's mother began to laugh, "There are so many Pidgeys around, I'm surprised she hasn't caught one yet."

"You know that you can't have a Pokémon without first getting your license, and you can't get a license until you've gone to the Pokémon Center to get your first Pokémon and be assigned to your team." Summer rummaged in her bag to check that she had everything, including her laptop and all of her chargers.

"So I guess you're ready to go?"

"Yes. If I don't show up soon to pick up Ella, she's going to freak out completely."

She made her way outside where the RV was parked. It was a huge thing, big enough for at least three people. Painted black, silver and blue, it hadn't been new when her father had purchased it, and he had spent quite some time making it look better than any RV Summer had seen in magazines. It was his pride and joy, so much so that he had taken over one of the motorhome shops in the city.

"Don't leave until you've put your things away in the drawers," he told her, getting out of the RV. "You know how quickly these places can get messy, especially with three teenagers."

Summer smiled, "We're going to put everything away once we're all together. Don't worry, Daddy, we have everything under control."

"You have your laptop?"

"Yes. I have my laptop, my phone, and first-aid kits for both people and Pokémon. Don't worry. We'll make sure to call you when we're on the road. We're going to be stopping at Uncle George's ranch down by San Antonio in a couple of weeks, so we won't be completely alone out there."

"Okay, okay. Go then, and have a great time. Be careful on the road, though! We don't want to get a phone call at two o'clock in the morning that start with 'We have your daughter Summer'."

A laugh, "I'll be careful, I promise."

She hugged both her parents, kissing their cheeks before climbing into the RV and starting the engine. Giving a happy cry, she started to drive away from home and towards a brand new adventure.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Several flying Pokémon mingled with regular birds, calling out to Summer as she drove past their trees in the RV. Pidgeys and their evolutions were very common, although she also saw a Murkrow not far from the road.

Her excitement grew as she got closer to Ella's house. The time was finally there. They were going to get their Pokémon after such a long wait.

The RV's phone rang. Summer pushed a button on the steering wheel, answering it, "Hi Ella."

"Are you on your way?"

"I'm just about to turn on your street."

"I see you!" shrieked Ella. "Hurry! Hurry!"

Summer giggled and deliberately slowed down. By the time she pulled up in front of her friend's house, Ella was standing there, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her parents stood behind her, shaking their heads in despair.

"I can't believe we're letting you girls do this."

"Oh, we'll be okay, Daddy!" exclaimed Ella, hugging him and hopping into the RV, "This is  _so awesome_!" She hugged Summer tightly, "Come on, come on! We have to go pick up Megan!"

"Girl! Let me say hello to your parents first." Summer playfully pushed Ella away before getting out of the RV. "Mr. and Mrs. Beaumont, hello."

"Hi Summer, how are you?" asked Mrs. Beaumont, shaking her hand.

"I'm doing good thanks. Excited."

"I trust you know how to drive that thing?" asked Ella's father, looking at the RV.

"Oh yeah. My dad insisted on my getting the license to drive it as soon as I got my regular driver's license. I know that Megan also got hers, so she'll be able to drive as well."

"Good. Be careful on the roads, don't get in over your head with the Pokémon, and try not to bring back all six hundred of them, okay?"

"I can't promise we won't bring a lot of Pokémon back. I've been studying for a while, and know exactly which ones I want to get. Ella too, I think."

"Water Pokémon, as many as I can carry!"

"Hey now," cautioned Mr. Beaumont, "you need to be able to take care of each and every one of them. I expect you to be responsible about this. Think of how much money it costs to take care of each of them, even if they  _are_  in their Pokéballs."

"I'm sure we'll do fine," said Ella. "Can we go now? We have to pick up Megan and go to the Pokémon Center!"

"Both of which are only few minutes away, now calm down, Ella. Honestly, you'd think that you'd never done anything exciting before."

But nothing could curb her enthusiasm, and so they were finally allowed to leave. Ella took her spot on the passenger side, checking her reflection in the rearview mirror. She was gorgeous, the type of girl who looked like she'd stepped off a runway without any effort. As a matter of fact, she  _had_  done some modeling, which had helped her save enough money for the journey.

 _When I think that I had to work in a restaurant for eight months to save money_ … said Summer to herself.

Shaking her head and smiling, she started the RV again.

"Oh, I can't wait!" squealed Ella, stomping her feet in excitement. "It's going to be awesome! Did you see yesterday's battle on Channel Five?"

"Team Valor against Team Discord? Yeah, I saw it. It was quite a show."

"When that trainer sent out that Bewear, I thought I was going to explode! It was huge!"

Summer nodded, "But then the other trainer sent out a Blaziken, so it evened out in the end."

"Still, I didn't think that Discord was going to lose. They hardly ever lose."

"It goes to show you that it doesn't matter which team you're assigned to. I mean, there are eighteen teams out there. The same one can't always win."

Turning onto Megan's street, Summer eased the RV to a stop, seeing the last member of their group in front of her house, bags at the ready.

"Five blocks, and it takes you forever to get here!" she cried, laughing. Her unruly brown hair had been coaxed into dozens of braids, and she had applied makeup to her coffee-colored skin, something she usually only did before going on a date. She waved as she hefted her backpack higher on her shoulder.

"The Pokémon Center's just down your block," said Ella, getting out of the RV and hugging Megan. "You could have just waited there for us."

"By myself? I don't think so. We said we were going together, so we're going together."

Summer also hugged Megan, "Are you ready?"

"Totally! Let's go! Mom packed us a lunch."

"So did mine," said Ella.

Summer began to laugh, "Mine did too. It's in the fridge. I guess we won't starve today, and neither will our Pokémon."

"You have Pokémon food?" wondered Megan. "Because I have a whole bag."

A nod, "Food, snacks, beverages, medication, I think I have more for Pokémon than I do for myself."

"Yahoo!" screamed Ella, giving a little jump.

"Shhh! You'll wake the neighbors!"

Ella put a hand over her mouth and giggled, "Sorry. But come on, everyone's excited today!"

"All right, all right, let's go! I don't want there to be too many people ahead of us."

"You think there will be?" asked Ella, looking at Summer uneasily.

"I think that it's a good thing that people were forbidden from camping out. But even if there were a hundred kids before us, there would be enough Pokémon for everyone." Summer was thinking about the first time the journeys had begun for trainers. Kids had been terrified that there would be no more Pokémon available, and the Pokémon Centers had been overwhelmed. Since then, the Pokémon Committee had asked trainers to set up ahead of time so that things could be done in an orderly fashion when the time came.

Megan took her place inside the RV. "It's huge in here!" she exclaimed. "Wow! How much did this thing cost your family?"

Summer started to laugh, "You don't want to know how much work my father put in to renovate it."

"Seriously? It looks like one of those luxury RVs that we see in the movies. There are three beds in here?"

"One above the cab, one in the back, and the sofa there pulls out into a bed as well."

"This is  _so cool_! I don't know if I'm more excited about spending time in here or getting my Pokémon."

"Pokémon," said Summer and Ella at the same time.

Megan grinned, "Let's go then!"

And so they did, getting to the Pokémon Center a few minutes later. There were several people there already, and they watched Summer pulling up with interest.

"Looks like about twenty people will be ahead of us," said Megan, glancing out the window and counting them quickly. "That's not too bad, I guess."

"Remember how bad it was when we signed up?" asked Ella. "The site crashed on me twice."

Summer remembered that evening well. It had happened the previous January, and she'd been so nervous that she had mistyped her name three times. "I remember. It was so slow I thought I'd never get it to work." She turned off the engine and got up. "We should put our things away now. Would you guys mind if I took the bed above the cab?"

"It's your RV," laughed Ella. "You take whichever bed you want." She glanced at Megan and made a run for the bed that was at the back of the camper, "I take the big bed!" she cried.

Megan stared after her, "Then I guess I'll take the pull-out?"

Summer chuckled, "It's comfortable."

They began to put their things away, and by the time they got out of the camper, ten more people had arrived.

Pokémon gossip was everywhere. Everyone talked about their favorite teams, and where they were hoping to end up. As nobody knew exactly how the selection process went, everyone was either excited or nervous.

"I know I'm going to be on Team Motion," one youth was saying. "Raikou's my favorite legendary Pokémon."

"Is that how it works?" a girl asked, biting her lip. "They assign you based on what your favorite Pokémon are?"

"Well, nobody knows, do they? I've tried accessing the different team websites, but I could only get to the generic ones. Do you have any idea why?"

It was a good question. Summer had wondered about that time and again as she'd prepared for her journey. She and her parents had sifted through all of the different teams, but had only been able to find, as the boy had said, generic information, such as the names of each teams and the legendary Pokémon they took after.

"He's right," said Megan. "How do we know which team will be right for us? All I know is that Team Chaos and Team Discord win a lot of tournaments, but we know that from watching them battle. I wonder why trainers can't talk about their teams with non-trainers."

"Probably to keep the secret," said Summer.

"What secret?"

"Well, I guess it's like when you were in gymnastics. You wouldn't have told everyone what dismount you were going to use, right? You had to keep that between you and your team."

Two girls further down the line were worriedly talking about what they would do if they weren't put on the same team. Both of them loved Team Legend, but it was very unlikely that they would remain together.

"I hadn't even thought of that," said Ella. "Because there are eighteen teams, we're probably going to be separated. Will we even be able to travel together?"

Summer gave a nod, "If I hadn't been sure, I wouldn't have invited you guys on a cross-country trip to find Pokémon. Members of different teams are encouraged to work together, as long as they don't reveal too much about their own teams. Stop worrying."

"Oh, like you're not worried!"

She didn't answer. In truth, she had been so focused on the Pokémon that she hadn't given much thoughts to the team she would be joining until the previous month.

All new trainers were assigned to one of eighteen Legendary Teams, named after the legendary Pokémon that had been discovered in the world. The teams each participated in regional, national, and international tournaments, which enhanced their prestige, depending on whether its members won or lost.

Tournament participation wasn't mandatory, as far as Summer knew, but it was something that most trainers looked forward to, because the victors usually received prizes. A boy the previous year from Team Mystic had gotten a full scholarship to a university in Australia thanks to his win in the Oceanic Pokémon League.

Ella poked Summer's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Summer smiled, "Oh yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about the different teams and the tournaments."

"You can still be a trainer and not be a part of any teams, right?" asked Megan. "I thought I read that somewhere."

It was a woman in line with her daughter who answered, "Oh yes, that's certainly possible. If you're not interested in tournaments, you can leave the team you've been assigned to almost immediately. It's what my son did. But he regretted it, because being part of a team gives you lots of advantages."

"Like what?" wondered Ella.

"You'll see. But if you want to leave your team, there is a Pokémon trainer community that's called Teamless."

"Why wouldn't you want to be part of a team? Can you get kicked out?"

"I've never heard of anybody being kicked out of a team," said Summer. "But I have heard of this Teamless community. They don't have tournaments, but work with Pokémon in any case."

The woman nodded, "You'll find out soon enough. Which team are you hoping to be a part of?"

"Team Illusion," said Summer immediately.

"Team Zephyr," answered Megan.

"Team Mystic for me," said Ella, showing her blue backpack, which indeed had the team's logo on it. "But we'd really like to be on the same team."

"Oh, that probably won't happen. It might, but it's unlikely."

Time seemed to move more slowly as more and more people arrived. News crews arrived as well, to report on what was happening. Summer saw a camera pointed in her direction more than once, and hoped that she didn't look like a clown.

Megan looked around, "Hey, what do you think happens to the kids who weren't able to sign up for today? Do they get a make-up day?"

"No, Megan," said Ella. "Remember? They get to sign up for the December date. In countries like Australia, December 20th is actually their huge date, because it's right at the beginning of their summer season."

"Oh, that's right, I completely forgot about December. Oh, look! Something's happening!"

At Megan's cry, everyone in line straightened up, their energies renewed.

Four people in long lab coats had come out of the Pokémon Center. One of them, a man with black hair and a trimmed goatee, was holding a microphone.

"Welcome, new Pokémon trainers!" he said. "Today is the day you've been waiting for, where you finally get your Pokémon and are assigned to your Legendary Teams!"

There was a colossal cheer from the crowd. Next to Summer, Ella screamed and clapped her hands, jumping up and down.

"Good to see that you're all excited! Now, we're going to have you come in in groups of eight. Make sure to have your IDs ready so that we can check you in quickly. See you inside, and again, congratulations!"

Excited, Summer took Megan and Ella's hands, squeezing them tightly. "It's finally happening!"

The line began to move as the first eight people were let through.

"How long does the process take?" asked Ella.

"Around thirty minutes or so, depending on the questions the trainer has," answered the woman who had spoken previously. "You'll be in there before you know it."

She was right. Less than an hour later, Summer found herself giving her ID to an attendant and stepping inside the Pokémon Center for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you for reading!
> 
> I just wanted to make you aware of something:
> 
> In some instances during this story, you will note that I've given a Pokémon particular moves that don't necessarily belong to them. This is, in part, deliberate, as I feel that some moves should be available to each type: for example, I feel that every Fighting-type Pokémon with long legs should be able to learn High Jump Kick.
> 
> Of course, there will probably be instances where I'm clumsy, and I apologize in advance for that!
> 
> Love,  
> Lunarelle


	2. Chapter 2

The building was large three-story edifice. Constructed with the latest and most durable materials, it had white walls interspersed with bay windows, and a red roof that distinguished it from every other structure in the area.

The lobby Summer found herself in was spacious, with black and white floors that might have been marble. Large paintings of Pokémon decorated the walls, and directly in front of Summer was a large reception area, where a woman was waiting with a Chancey.

"Hi," she said, friendly. "You can just take the elevator over there to the second floor."

Summer gave a nod and got to the elevator just as Megan and Ella arrived.

"This is amazing," hissed Ella. "Look at this place! I've never been inside before."

"Well, no," said Megan. "You wouldn't have been able to, without a Pokémon license. I tried once, just to see what it was about, and they wouldn't let me in."

They stepped off the elevator and onto the second floor, which was decorated a pristine white, with splashes of red. Two boys and a girl were waiting there, sitting gingerly on a red couch, ready to jump into action as soon as they could. Nobody said anything.

"Now I feel like I'm at a funeral or something," whispered Ella as they sat on a second couch that faced three doors.

Megan giggled. "I think everyone's nervous now."

"Nervous, I feel like I'm about to faint," Summer told her. Her hands were shaking and as she caught her reflection in the window, she noticed that she was pale. She tried to relax.

_There's nothing to be afraid of. You've been wanting this for months!_

But she was worried. Worried, now that the time was here, that she wouldn't do as well as she hoped. What if she was a disappointment and found that she hated to battle? What if she couldn't be a Pokémon researcher?

She didn't have the time to ponder these questions further, as the doors in front of them all opened at the same time.

"Next group, please," said a mechanical voice.

Summer got to her feet, giving one last glance to Megan and Ella before stepping through the doorway in front of her and into another room.

She was greeted by the same man in the goatee who had spoken earlier. Up close, his eyes were kind, and Summer saw with a start that he had a Pokémon on his shoulder: a Spinarak.

"Hello," she said, overcome with shyness.

The man smiled, "Hi. I'm Professor Alder. Welcome to the Pokémon Center."

"Thank you," she replied. "My name is Summer. Summer Blackwood."

"There's no need to be nervous, Summer. I promise that this is quite a painless process."

"Oh, I know. I've just been waiting a while for this, like everyone else."

"Yes, I understand. Now, are you ready to receive your Pokémon and be assigned to your team?"

She nodded, "Yes I am."

"Good. You can put your hand in this device right here. It will take your fingerprints and a tiny bit of blood – don't worry it won't hurt at all. We'll go from there."

The mention of blood made Summer feel queasy. "O-okay," she said, stepping towards the device in question. It was a white rectangular box that was open at one end so that she could slide her hand in.

A bad experience with a spider had taught Summer to never put her hand in a dark hole, so it was with apprehension that she did this now. Nothing happened at first, but after a couple of seconds, the machine began to whirr, with small panels on the side lighting up in red and blue. Her hand got very warm, and she felt a tiny prick at the tip of her pinky finger.

"See?" said Professor Alder when the machine fell silent again. "Nothing to it. You can come over here."

Summer pulled her hand out of the box and walked towards a large vertical screen, where she saw her picture, birth date, and hometown. "How does the computer know what team to put me in?"

"Do you remember when you signed up to become a trainer?"

A nod, "Yes."

"There was a questionnaire that you had to answer. These answers were fed directly into the database, and that, along with your blood, will help the computer decide where to put you. Ah, here's your Pokémon."

Summer started. Her Pokémon!

Professor Alder picked up a Pokéball and handed it to her, "Here you go."

With trembling fingers, Summer took the red and white ball and pressed on its central button, enlarging it. Holding it out the way she had seen on television, she saw it open, revealing her Pokémon, which came out in a flash of red light.

A Cyndaquil.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered just as Cyndaquil appeared on the screen beneath her picture. Summer knelt in front of the Pokémon who was looking at her timidly. "Hi there, Cyndaquil. My name is Summer."

She held out her hand carefully, and Cyndaquil approached her slowly, taking small steps. "Quil…" it said.

Summer smiled, "Yes, hi. Can I pick you up?"

Cyndaquil cocked its head to the side before coming closer to her. It nodded once, and Summer slowly put her hands around it, picking it up and bringing it closer to her.

"I'm going to be your trainer, Cyndaquil. And I hope that we're going to become good friends." Cradling it in her arms, she rubbed its head gently. Cyndaquil gave a little happy cry, settling against her. "It's the cutest thing ever," she told Professor Alder, who was watching her closely.

"I'm happy to see that you two are already getting along. The last trainer just came out of here with a Turtwig, and they didn't take kindly to each other immediately. I think he'll have a tough time ahead of him."

"That happens? That Pokémon and their trainers don't get along?"

"Sometimes, yes. There are some Pokémon who don't want to be captured, and who will resist with every ounce of strength they have. You'll be able to tell that quickly when you start your own journey."

Summer looked at Cyndaquil, "Is that where the flames shoot out of it?" she asked, nodding towards the four red spots on its back.

"Yes. And you'll want to be careful. When Cyndaquil gets angry or defensive, the flames will come out, and they can burn things down, contrary to what some people might have you believe."

"Well, of course they can, they're flames."

Professor Alder nodded, "Yes. We've had trainers think that their Pokémon's abilities wouldn't work on them or their things, specifically because they shared a bond. But that's not the case at all, so remember that."

"I will. Thank you, Professor."

"You've been so focused on your Cyndaquil that you haven't noticed that your team was posted. Would you like to take a look?"

Her team? Summer turned around. The screen had changed. Her picture was still there along with the rest of her data, but other things had changed. The background was now a pearly silver color and the logo of her new team had appeared in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Team Origin. The Legendary Team that had been named for Arceus.

"Look, Cyndaquil," said Summer in a trembling voice. "We're part of Team Origin!"

"Not the team you were expecting?" asked Professor Alder.

"I wasn't really expecting anything, to be honest. I was just excited to get my Pokémon."

Professor Alder smiled, "But there was a team that you followed, am I right?"

"Sure, everyone has a team they follow. I guess I followed Team Illusion more than any other."

"I was following Team Valor before I was assigned to a different team. It was a bit of a shock, because the teams were new, and nobody knew what the process was like. You see, we all thought that we would get to choose our own teams."

"But you weren't sixteen when you started, were you? I mean, Pokémon have only been around for eight years."

"That's right. I was twenty-three. But I was just as excited as you were when I got my first Pokémon – a Squirtle."

"What team did you get?"

"Well, as I said, I wanted to join Team Valor, because I loved Moltres. But the computer decided that I would be a better fit for Team Origin, just like you." As he spoke, he moved the lapel of his lab coat to show her his shirt, which was white, with the Team Origin logo on it.

Summer smiled, running a finger down Cyndaquil's body. "Were you disappointed?"

"Surprised, mostly. Especially when I found out about the requirements."

Requirements? "There are requirements?"

"Oh yes. Each team has a specific set of rules that its trainers need to obey in order to stay."

"What kind of rules?"

"Some teams requite trainers to have a certain amount of type-specific Pokémon. I can't divulge a lot of information, because figuring it out on your own is part of the learning process. But for example, there's a team that requires all of a trainer's Pokémon to know at least one water-type move."

"They can do that? Force trainers to have only very specific Pokémon?"

"It can be a challenge for some trainers, yes. But the requirements are only for the tournaments. Pokémon trainers can catch any Pokémon they want, but if they plan to participate in tournaments and enhance their team's prestige, they need to abide by their team's rules."

"So that's why some trainers are in the Teamless Community?"

An odd look crossed Professor Alder's features. "Yes, that's part of it. You see, the whole idea behind being on these teams is to challenge yourself. Just because a Pokémon is of a specific type doesn't mean that it can only learn its type's moves. As a matter of fact, most Pokémon know more than one type of move, it's in their nature."

"So, what are the requirements for Team Origin?"

"Ah, I'm glad you asked that. Arceus, as you know, is rumored to have created all Pokémon and the world they came from."

Summer gave a nod. She'd heard this before.

"Because of that, members of Team Origin are required to have at least three Pokémon of every single type by the end of the third stage."

"But… there are eighteen different types of Pokémon. You mean to say that I'm going to need at least –," she counted quickly, "fifty-four Pokémon?"

"That's right. And they all have to be different. You can't count three Pokémon of the same evolutionary scale."

"What do you mean?"

Professor Alder pointed to another screen across the room, which showed Cyndaquil's evolutionary chart. "If you train your Cyndaquil right, it will evolve into Quilava, and later into Typhlosion. But you can't count each of them separately, even if you have a Quilava, a Cyndaquil, and a Typhlosion."

"So Cyndaquil and its evolutions would only count once for the requirement?"

"Exactly."

Chewing her lip, Summer thought things over. "How am I supposed to find an Ice-type Pokémon in the summer?"

"That's the challenge, isn't it?" laughed the professor. "Your teammates will definitely help you with that, if you decide to stick with them, that is."

"And, Professor, what do you mean by third stage? There are stages?"

"Yes. Tournament stages, which are measured in years. This is your first year, so you're in stage one. You and other new trainers will only be able to participate in Stage One tournaments, which are generally statewide or regional, although there is a National Stage One Tournament every year."

"Oh, right. Last night's battle on Channel Five was Stage One, I remember, but I thought that was only for that competition."

"No, it's a general term for trainers. After the third stage, which ends when you're eighteen, the stages don't really matter anymore, unless you're still competing, which is the case for some of us."

"Do you still compete?" asked Summer, her eyes wide.

"On occasion, yes. My last battle was two weeks ago. It was for a small thing, but our team won, which is always good. Would you like to see which Pokémon I use?"

"I would, yes!" she said enthusiastically. Cyndaquil, picking up on her excitement, gave a small squeak of interest.

Professor Alder took a Pokéball from where it was on his belt, releasing the Pokémon inside. What came out was a creature Summer had seen a couple of times before, but never in person. Resembling a caribou, it was a little over four feet tall, its antlers coming up past her head.

"Oh, it's a Stantler!" she cried, delighted. "It's so cute! Look, Cyndaquil!"

Obligingly, her Pokémon looked at the Stantler curiously, saying its name once. Stantler nodded its head and came closer, sniffing at it delicately.

"It's been a good companion over these last few years," said Professor Alder, walking over and rubbing Stantler's head gently. "So. If you'll give me your phone and your laptop, I'll install the necessary programs for you to use now that you're on our team."

Summer put Cyndaquil down for a minute and took her phone out of her pocket before opening her bag and grabbing her laptop. "Here you go."

"Ah, thank you. You'll have to go to the store and get all of your gear. I'll give you five Pokéballs now, but you can get more on your own. Do you know what you'll need?"

"Uniforms, right? For the tournaments?"

"Yes. Those are mandatory if you're going to compete. Okay, I'm updating your phone's software so that it can be much more performing. The arrival of Pokémon didn't just give us new creatures, but amazing technology as well. I have no idea how we functioned without it."

"As best we could," said Summer, picking up Cyndaquil again. She looked at the professor, "Why do you think the Pokémon came to us?"

Professor Alder stopped tinkering with her phone for a second, "Legend has it that Pokémon appear when a population is on the brink of destruction. You were young when Pokémon first appeared, so you might not remember this, but fifteen years ago, things were bad. Wars were everywhere, people were dying by the thousands every day…"

"Yes, I know this from my history classes."

"Well, the Pokémon appeared just as we were on the brink of nuclear war. We got very lucky, I think, because in just a few years, most of that conflict disappeared."

"But, even with Pokémon, people don't just change their behaviors overnight."

"Oh, we have a theory about that, and I think you've heard it already."

She had. "You think that the legendary Pokémon did something to people's emotions. Not the population at large, but to the people who were spearheading the wars."

"It's the only explanation that makes sense."

Summer took a deep breath, "Do you think that the Pokémon will disappear, then?"

"You don't have to worry about losing your Cyndaquil anytime soon. If the Pokémon were to disappear tomorrow, we might fall back into chaos a lot faster, and I think that whatever power brought them to us knows that."

"It's just so unreal. All of a sudden, they appeared, and changed our world, literally."

"The Cyndaquil in your arms is pretty real. They've offered us new opportunities that we hadn't even dreamed about. And now, I'm passing those opportunities down to you." He finished with her phone and computer, and moved to one of the screens, tapping a keyboard there. A moment later, a card popped out of a slot. He handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"Your new ID. It serves as a payment card in every Pokémon store in the world. The more prestige a team has, the more discounts its members get. You know what place Team Origin currently holds in the rankings?"

"Fifth place, as of last night."

The professor nodded, "That's right. That's pretty good, considering. And for every battle a member of the team wins, our prestige goes up. For every battle we lose, the prestige drops."

Summer put her ID in her wallet, which she put back in her bag. "Is there anything else I should do before I go?"

"Yes. You need to sign up on Team Origin's website. It'll just take a second." He tapped a few keys, and the official website came up on the screen. "Is there a screen name you want to use?"

"Well… my parents call me Summer Star."

A chuckle, "I like it. Here, you sign up."

Summer went to the screen, placing Cyndaquil on a stool next to the console and quickly entering her details on the sign-up screen and managing to use her nickname as her screen name. "I'll change my details later on."

"Oh yeah, if you did that now, we'd never get people moving along. Now, if you have any questions, you can ask in the forums. The site moderators are excellent and very helpful. All of them have been through tournaments. And I'll be available through the forums starting tomorrow as well."

"Sounds great. Thank you so much for everything, Professor!"

"Do you have plans right now?"

"Actually my friends and I were planning on doing a cross-country tour to catch Pokémon. My dad lent me his RV for the trip."

"Oh, so that's your camper out there. Sounds like you girls will have a lot of fun."

"It  _is_  okay for them to come with me, right? Even if they're probably going to be on other teams?"

"Of course it is. My wife is actually on Team Illusion, so, you see, it's not so restrictive."

Summer smiled as she put her things back in her bag, including Cyndaquil's Pokéball, "I'll make sure to contact you if I have any questions."

"You do that. Congratulations, Summer. I hope you and Cyndaquil have lots of adventures together."

"Thank you! Are you ready to go, Cyndaquil?"

The Pokémon nodded, cuddling up to Summer.

"Off we go, then," said Summer, "Bye, Professor!"

He waved at her, watching her walk out through another door. He smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

She had her Pokémon! She was on one of the Legendary Teams! Hugging Cyndaquil close, Summer spun around a couple of times, giggling. Cyndaquil responded by making the cutest sound possible.

"You and I are going to go off on adventures together. But first, you're going to meet my two best friends Ella and Megan. I wonder which Pokémon they got!"

Summer made her way back outside and found herself faced with half a dozen television cameras and reporters.

"Oh, look! A new trainer! And she has a Cyndaquil!" squealed someone, running towards her.

The sudden movement startled Cyndaquil, who curled up into a ball in Summer's arms.

"Oh, isn't it cute?"

"Is it shy?"

"Do you think I could pat it?"

Summer took a step back, "Back off, you guys, you're scaring my Pokémon!" She looked down at Cyndaquil, who had started to shake. "It's okay, baby. I'm here, and nobody's going to hurt you, I promise."

"Quil…"

"They're just curious and want to look at you, that's all." She looked at the reporters, who were watching her, fascinated. "You're not going to hurt my Cyndaquil, are you?"

"No!"

"Of course not!"

"You see? They won't hurt you. They're going to keep a bit of distance and give us space so that we can leave." Leaning over, she cuddled her Pokémon, "It's okay," she repeated.

Slowly, Cyndaquil relaxed, but continued hiding its face against Summer's chest. Summer stroked its head gently, as she looked at the reporters.

"Yes, Cyndaquil's very cute. I don't know if it's shy, because I've just gotten it. And I know you'd like to pat it, but it wouldn't be a good idea right now, it's too scared."

"What's your name?" asked a woman.

"Summer Blackwood."

"And what team did you get assigned to?"

Summer smiled, "I think I'm going to let you discover that when I have my first televised battle."

"Can you tell us about the process in there, Summer?"

"Well, I was really nervous at first, but I was also excited. I've wanted a Pokémon for a while. But then I got Cyndaquil, and I knew that everything was going to be all right. Will you excuse me? I have a lot of things to do, now that I'm a new trainer."

"Sure. Thanks for talking to us!"

Summer waved at the reporters and got away as quickly as she could. She'd seen these kinds of ambush interviews before, where reporters cornered a new trainer as soon as he or she got out of the Pokémon Center. She felt that she'd been lucky with that crop of reporters. The previous year, one of them had ripped a Pokémon right out of a trainer's arms.

"That wasn't so horrible, was it, Cyndaquil?" she asked, beginning to walk towards the RV. She saw right away that Megan was there, waiting, with a little Pokémon on her shoulder that looked like a baby owl. "Look at that! She got a Rowlet!"

Megan saw her and waved at her, "Hi, Summer! Oh! Look at your Cyndaquil! It's adorable!"

"So's your Rowlet. Hi there, little one!" She glanced around, but didn't see Ella anywhere, "Has Ella not come out yet?"

"I haven't seen her."

Summer opened the RV, climbing inside. "Cyndaquil, this will be your home for the next few weeks."

"You too, Rowlet," said Megan to her Pokémon. "I guess we have to go to the Pokémon store, don't we?"

"Yes. Hey, what team are you on?"

"Celestial. With Palkia."

"That's pretty awesome."

Megan nodded, "I'm happy about it, even if it isn't Team Zephyr. What about you?"

"Origin."

"Oh, wow! So you're really in the competition, aren't you? My team's way down the line."

"Hey, you can win battles no matter what team you're on."

"I guess so. I'm really happy I ended up with Rowlet, though! And my team's requirement is to have flying-type Pokémon, at least twenty of them by the end of stage three."

Summer grinned, "Your favorite. You got lucky, Megs."

Megan was about to answer when the door to the RV opened and Ella came inside, looking conflicted. She carried a bird-like Pokémon as well, a water-type called Piplup.

"There you are!" said Summer. "How did it go?"

"I don't really know," she said quietly. "I didn't know that the teams had requirements."

"Nobody did. Why are you looking so upset? What happened?" Megan took her hand and led her inside, while Piplup gave a sad cry.

"I won't be able to use water-type Pokémon…"

"What? How is that possible?"

Summer sat down next to Ella, "What do you mean? What requirements do you have?"

"She wasn't really specific. I was assigned to Team Justice, and the requirements there are Fighting-type Pokémon."

"Only fighting types? Or Pokémon who know fighting-type moves?"

Ella looked up, "I don't know. Like I said, she wasn't specific."

"But you were in there longer than we were. What were you doing?"

"Oh, no, I was out of there in fifteen minutes with Piplup. I just… I went to the bathroom."

Summer rubbed Ella's back while Cyndaquil tentatively put a little paw on Ella's knee, wanting to comfort her as well. "Did you sign up on your team's website?"

Ella shook her head.

"Well, here, give me your computer, and we'll do that now."

"We're not supposed to see each other's websites," said Megan quietly.

"I'm not doing this to steal team secrets. Come on, Ella, we can look up your requirements at the same time. I'm sure you'll be fine." Summer took a laptop out of Ella's bag and turned it on. "At least she upgraded your software. What team was she from?"

"Team Valor. What about you guys? Where did you end up?"

It was Megan who told her while Summer found the website for Team Justice.

"Here, Ella, enter your credentials here so that you can access the site."

Sniffling once, Ella did as Summer asked. She looked shattered, and Piplup seemed like it hardly knew what to do.

"What should I use as a nickname?"

"I used Summer Star," said Summer, grinning.

Megan chortled, "I like that! I just went with Maygan, since I was born in May."

"Cute. Oh, I know what you could use!"

"What?"

"Water-types are your favorite Pokémon, right?"

Ella nodded.

"How about… Waterella?"

"That sounds ridiculous!" cried Ella, startled into laughter.

"You're laughing!" said Megan. "That's a good sign! Look, even Piplup is happy!"

Megan was right. Upon seeing Ella laughing, Piplup had started to laugh as well. It cuddled up to her and closed its eyes, going to sleep.

"Awe, look at that."

Ella looked down at Piplup and smiled, running a finger down its body. Finally, she typed in the screen name Azumarella on the website. "Azumarill is my favorite Pokémon," she explained. "And I won't be able to use it."

"Sounds to me like the professor you had didn't give you a full picture," said Megan. "The professor I had was Professor Beech, and even though he was from another team, he told me everything I needed to know. For example, he said that if I wanted to have something other than a flying type, I could. It's just that I wouldn't be able to use it in tournaments and stuff."

"Look up the requirements," said Summer. "Right there, look."

Ella clicked on the link, and a popup appeared.

_Welcome to Team Justice, where we honor Cobalion, Lord of Steel and Fight! For official tournament purposes, trainers are required to have at least twelve Fighting-type Pokémon, and two steel-type Pokémon. If you want to have another type of Pokémon, you need to make sure that it knows a Fighting-type move._

"There, you see?" said Megan, smiling. "You can use anything, as long as they can learn a fighting-type move!"

"But which water-type knows a fighting move?"

"Well, Poliwrath, for one," said Summer. "That's a dual water and Fighting-type Pokémon."

"That's true, I hadn't thought about that one."

Summer was checking the Pokémon application on her phone. "Wow, the new software Professor Alder installed makes this so much faster… hey! Look at this!"

"What?" asked Megan and Ella at the same time.

"Azumarill can learn Brick Break! That's a fighting-type move!"

"It is? It can?" Ella's eyes widened and began to shine. "Really? You're not making it up?"

"Not at all, look." She showed Ella Azumarill's page, which clearly showed its moves.

"That means that I can get one?"

"Yeah, you can get one! You see, the whole idea behind the requirements is to challenge yourself," said Megan. "Summer, you didn't tell us what your team's requirements are."

"By the end of stage three, I'll need to have three Pokémon of every type."

" _Every type_?"

Summer gave a nod, "Yep." She explained the rest of the requirements as she opened a cupboard and took out a Pokémon treat, feeding one to Cyndaquil and handing two others to Megan and Ella.

"At least you have flexibility. I have no idea where I'm going to find two Steel-type Pokémon."

"You already have one. Piplup's final evolution is Empoleon. That's a steel and Water-type Pokémon."

Ella looked at Piplup as it enjoyed the treat she'd given it. "That's right!"

Summer smiled, "Look, we're going to have a great time this summer looking for Pokémon. And I'm sure that if we need any advice, we'll be able to ask our teammates. After all, they want us to succeed too! Now, how about we go to the Pokémon store and get all our gear?"

The girls cheered. Megan sat next to Summer with Rowlet, while Ella stayed in the dining area with Piplup, working on her team site profile.

"I can't believe that Professor Briar didn't tell me this… why did she let me believe that I could only use Fighting-type Pokémon?"

"Maybe she didn't know?" asked Summer. "Although it doesn't seem likely. As a professor, she should know all the teams and their requirements."

Megan shrugged, "She could have done it on purpose."

"Oh, that would be low. For someone like that to dash a new trainer's hopes? T would make members of Team Valor sound like jerks, being as she's one of their representatives." Summer shook her head, driving the RV out of the Pokémon Center's parking lot. Cyndaquil, curious, sat on her lap and looked at everything.

"Hey!" exclaimed Ella, "there's a battle happening tonight! Team Justice vs. Team Instinct! It counts for the Stage Two Great Lakes Tournament!"

"We'll have to watch it to see how your team does, Ella, and we won't even have to leave the RV, because my father equipped it with satellite. We'll be able to pick it up easily."

"Awesome! Oh, Team Origin is also battling, against Team Valor."

"Now that, I'd really like to see," said Mean. "The standings change every Sunday, don't they? That's tomorrow."

Summer gave a nod, turning onto a commercial street. "Where in the world am I going to park this thing?"

"Aren't more trainers using RVs these days?"

"Yeah, we won't be the only ones, why?"

"Because I thought that parking had been changed last year to accommodate this?"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to find something big enough for us." Summer stopped next to a police car, "Excuse me, officer?"

The passenger side window of the police car lowered, "Hi there. That's quite a big RV you have."

"Yes, sir, I know. I was wondering where I could park it? I only need to park it for an hour somewhere while we go to the Pokémon store."

"Oh, are you a new trainer?"

"Yes, sir."

"The store is actually right in front of the police station, and we've let RVs park in our lot before." Getting out of the car, he walked up to Summer's window, handing her a bright blue plastic card. "There you go, you can put that on the windshield, and when you're ready to leave, you can bring it back inside."

"Thank you, officer!"

"You're welcome. My daughter will become a trainer next year, and she's really excited about it."

Summer smiled, "We look forward to meeting her. Thanks again!"

"No problem, and be careful while driving that."

"I will." As she watched the office walk away, she saw that he had a Pokémon around his neck: a small Ekans.

"Wow. It looks like everyone has a Pokémon now, doesn't it?"

Ella shook her head, "I think that we're noticing it more now, because we have some of our own."

"I think it's also the fact that most people keep their Pokémon inside their Poké Balls. But I heard that there are some Pokémon who hate that."

Summer said nothing, focusing on traffic, which was busy in this part of the suburbs. She found the police station easily, with the Pokémon store directly in front of it.

"That store is huge!" exclaimed Megan. "Look at that!"

Ella laughed, "Well, it has to serve the entire northern suburbs of Chicago, doesn't it?"

"It's not a store," said Summer, pulling into the police parking lot and stopping in a space that had been specifically marked for large vehicles. "It's a mall." She put the plastic card in the window, making sure it was fully visible. "I want to nip inside the station just in case. I'll be right back."

Cyndaquil climbed onto her shoulder, nuzzling her neck gently. Summer smiled, raising a hand to pat her head.

"Nice RV," said someone the moment she had opened the door. It was a female officer who had a Growlithe with her.

"Oh, thanks, officer. Um, we ran into another officer up the street, who told us we could park here. He had an Ekans?"

"Oh, yes, that was Officer Maloney. You're more than welcome to park here for as long as you need. I hope you enjoy the Pokémon store!"

"Thank you," said Summer, signaling to the others, who were already getting out. A few minutes later, having locked up, they made their way across the street to the mall, which was unmistakable.

Pokémon decals were on every window, with a huge Masquerain, the State Pokémon, adorning the double front doors.

"You'd think that we could have had something a little more threatening than a Masquerain as a state Pokémon," said Ella, glancing at it as they went inside.

"Masquerain's pretty," said Summer. "I'd love to have one."

"You would? But… it's a bug."

Summer smiled, "I need to have at least three bug types by the end of stage three, remember?"

Ella shuddered, "I hate bugs. All of them. Except maybe ladybugs."

"I guess that means that you're  _not_  going to try to get a Heracross, are you?" asked Megan, giggling. "You know, they're half-fighting."

"I really don't care. If they force me to get a bug type, I quit."

"You're not gonna quit, you've been waiting for this as long as we have!"

A man at the reception was watching them with a smile, "Hello, ladies," he said. "New trainers?"

Summer gave a nod, "Is it that obvious?"

"To me it is, but I've been working here a while. May I see your team cards?" he gathered them and scanned them before handing them back. "You can find all of your teams on the directory posted right there on the wall, but they're all by alphabetical order."

Ella thanked him and went to the directory.

"Oh, we're all on different floors," she said.

"Then I guess we can surprise each other with a fashion show later on," laughed Summer. "Okay, see you guys in a bit." Still giggling, she went towards the escalator that would lead her to the upper floor.


	4. Chapter 4

With Cyndaquil still perched on her shoulder, she went to the third floor of the mall. There were dozens of new trainers there, each of them with a Pokémon.

"That's a Bulbasaur," she said to Cyndaquil. "It's a Grass-type Pokémon. And that over there is a Froakie, which you'd need to stay away from, because it's a Water-type."

She wasn't the only one talking to her Pokémon. Everyone was doing the exact same thing, although there were several others who were looking at them indulgently. They were obviously older trainers.

"The novelty will wear off for them soon," said one of them to his friend.

"Hey, I still talk to my Pokémon."

"Yeah, but you're nuts."

Summer tried not to smile. She didn't see why she shouldn't talk to Cyndaquil. Extensive studies had been performed on Pokémon, and scientists had noted that they understood everything that people told them, even if it was in another language. There was speculation that all Pokémon were telepathic and could read people's minds, but that hadn't been proven yet.

Reaching up, she ran a finger over Cyndaquil's snout and stepped off the escalator. She spotted Team Origin's section immediately, and went straight for it, bypassing the sections for Team Motion and Team Mystic.

An attendant was there, and smiled at her as she stopped, looking at the clothes.

"I bet you have a lot of questions."

"I do, actually. I know I can just check everything on my phone, but it's always better to talk to someone."

The girl nodded. She was perhaps a couple of years older than Summer, and wore the same outfit the mall employees did: a white shirt and black pants, but her name tag had the Team Origin logo on it as well. Her name was Olivia.

"It's pretty simple. You need pants, a shirt, and a jacket, along with sneakers and boots. The prices vary depending on the quality of the materials used, although everything looks the same. You can also buy the dress if you'd like – we have the shoes to match it, if needed."

"And these are the tournament clothes?"

"Yes. You can get anything else you want: pajamas, hoodies, sweatpants, and jewelry. To make it easier, we put red stickers on the mandatory items."

"Oh, that makes it much easier," said Summer. "Thank you!"

"No problem. Has your card already been loaded with the balance that you had deposited on your account when you signed up?"

Summer shook her head. She remembered now that she'd needed to pay a deposit of two hundred dollars when she'd signed up as a trainer.

"You can do that at the counter then. If you have a credit card, you can also load that amount on your card."

"It's a debit card," said Summer, reaching for a pair of gray cargo pants.

"That's even better. That way we can debit that card and load your Team ID. Anyway, I'll be right here if you have any other questions."

Summer smiled, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

The tournament uniform had been designed in Arceus' colors: silvery gray pants, amber yellow shirts, and emerald green jackets. The sneakers were also gray, while the boots were dark gray combat boots.

"These are surprisingly comfortable," she told Cyndaquil as she tried the boots on. As a matter of fact, the entire outfit she had selected was comfortable.

"That's because of the battles," said Olivia. "Sometimes, you could be locked in a battle for a half hour, and people thought it would be best for everyone to be as comfortable as possible without actually being in their slippers."

Summer started to laugh, "Makes sense. I'll take one of each for now. I guess that if I need anything else, I can go buy it at any Pokémon store?"

"Yes. Every Pokémon store in the world has the basic tournament uniform. The bigger ones will have more variety as far as price is concerned, because we understand that not everyone has the means to get the best things out there."

"Is that why some pants are only twenty-five dollars, but these are at fifty?"

Olivia nodded, "The ones you picked are more durable, and slightly more comfortable. It's not because there's anything wrong with them."

"I guess the cheaper ones will do in a pinch."

"Oh yes. I can't tell you how many times I wasn't able to do laundry before an official battle, and I had to go to the nearest store and get a cheap shirt. The good thing is that nobody can tell unless they look very closely."

"That's useful."

"It really is. Do you want anything else?"

Summer bit her lip. There were so many things that she could have gotten that she didn't know where to start. "What do you think Cyndaquil?"

Cyndaquil made a little sound and hopped down from her shoulder, going towards the accessories shelf. With its little teeth, it pulled out a silver phone case with a gold Team Origin logo on it.

"That's a great idea! Thanks, sweetheart!" Patting Cyndaquil's head, Summer took the phone case, also grabbing a decal to put on her laptop.

In the end, she got more things than she'd meant to. In addition to her uniform, she bought a holster bag to wrap around her leg, a hoodie and yoga pants, a shirt that she knew she'd use as a pajama top, gray uniform shorts, earrings, a watch, and bedding for Cyndaquil, who was overjoyed with the present, snuggling up to her.

"I think that I'll get other stuff later. I don't want to spend all my money in one go, or my parents will kill me."

"Well, the bedding for your Cyndaquil is a necessary expense," said the cashier as he loaded her team card. "There you go. With your team discount, the total comes to two hundred and seventeen dollars and ninety cents. You still have four hundred dollars on your team card, which you can reload at any Pokémon store by using the machines next to the ATMs."

"Thank you very much," said Summer, taking the two bulging bags and going towards the exit to wait for Ella and Megan. As she waited, she watched as other new trainers walked by, some of them with so many bags that they could barely keep upright.

"Looks like everyone's just as excited as we are," said Megan, walking over to her. She also had two bags, and from what Summer could see, most of her stuff was shaded pink or violet. "I would have bought more, but I'm glad I didn't. Team Celestial is tenth in the standings right now, so we're not getting a huge discount."

Summer smiled, "I could have easily bought everything in my section. They have awesome stuff."

"I know! I got a new backpack and everything! Look, there's Ella. I think she got more stuff than either of us."

Ella came to them, struggling with her purchases, "I might have gone a little overboard."

Megan started to laugh, "A  _little_  overboard? I think that all of us got enough stuff to last us a whole year at least."

"No, because you know we'll buy more stuff if we catch other Pokémon."

Giggling, they left the store, going back to the RV. As they did, they saw another RV pulling into the parking lot.

Summer's heart leaped in her chest. She had only caught a glimpse of him…

"What the heck is the matter with you?" wondered Ella. "Hey, snap out of it! What did you see?"

Megan turned to look at the second RV, which was painted a solid black, "I don't think it's a what. I think it's more of a  _who_."

"What are you talking about?"

Summer heard nothing of their conversation as the black RV's door opened and a boy stepped out of it, followed by a Snivy. Her mouth went completely dry.

Ella gave a low whistle, "Now  _that_  is a handsome guy."

Handsome. That was the very word for it. The boy was tall, with creamy-pale skin, an angular face and white-blond hair that had been entirely parted to one side, with the other side having been shaved.

"Forget it, Ella. Summer's already in love."

Summer shook her head briefly, as if to clear it, "In… I'm not in… stop that."

"I just mean that you wouldn't mind battling against him… every day for the rest of your life, judging by that look on your face."

"What look? There's no look."

She quickly turned away as the boy walked past them, not sparing them a glance. Summer's heart was beating irregularly, and she felt like she was about to start hyperventilating.

"Girl, you look like you're about to faint!" Ella took the keys from her and opened the RV, guiding her inside. "Sit down… not on the floor!"

Megan followed them inside, stepping around Summer. "Are you okay? I've never seen you lose your head like that over a guy before. Even with Damian."

"Oh, sure mention him…" said Ella, going to the fridge and getting some water. "That's a great way to calm her down."

Megan winced, "I'm sorry. I just mean that I've never seen you act that way before."

Summer shook her head, accepting the water from Ella, "I don't know what happened."

"What happened is that you saw a guy and your body just about shut down." Ella giggled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," she paused. "We should get out of here."

"Whoa, you're not driving when you can barely stand! I'll drive."

"Megan –."

"The only reason your father allowed you to take the RV was because there were going to be two of us driving. I got a special license for it, so there's no way that I'm not driving. Where should we go first? Do you want to start going to Texas now?"

Summer got to her feet shakily and sat on one of the leather benches that made up the dining area. Cyndaquil immediately hopped up on the table, looking worried. "We have to go to the new trainers gathering in Washington D.C. first," said Summer. "We have to be there by Friday."

"I completely forgot about that," said Megan. "Okay then, we'll go to Washington."

"I don't think we're going to need five days to go to D.C." Ella sat down next to Summer, with Piplup on her lap. "But we should get going now. I don't know how fast we can drive this down the highway."

"Oh, that's not a problem. Let's find an area to park without bugging anyone, and we'll figure out where to go." Megan got into the driver's seat and started the engine, beginning to drive out of the police parking lot.

"There's an RV parking area at the lake," Summer told her.

It didn't take them long to get there. There was some traffic, but it wasn't too heavy despite the fact that it was the first real summer weekend of the year. The skies were a beautiful cerulean blue, with not a trace of cloud, and the sun shone down brightly, twinkling between tree branches.

"Hey, does this mean that we can catch every Pokémon we see now?" asked Ella. "Like, if I wanted to, I could catch that Pidgey over there?"

"You could, yes," said Megan from the front seat.

Summer stroked Cyndaquil's head slowly, "But I'd suggest that you look up the list of Pokémon you need for the tournament requirements. You should also get to know your Pokémon before trying to catch anything."

"Maybe we could have a battle, what do you think?"

"That would be fun. But not immediately. I want to figure out which moves Cyndaquil knows first."

"Shouldn't they all know their standard moves?"

Summer looked at Cyndaquil, "Hmm. I don't know. We can check that when we get to the lake. I don't want Cyndaquil practicing fire moves in the trailer."

Ella laughed, "No, I guess that wouldn't be the safest thing in the world."

They got to the lake in time to notice that there were several families there with children, but no Pokémon trainers. When Megan stopped the RV, Summer got up and began to put her new things away.

"Oh, what's  _that_ , Summer?" asked Ella, holding up the holster pack.

"It's like a fanny pack that you strap to your leg. It's more convenient for storing Pokéballs, and it looks awesome." She took the pack from Ella and looped it around her waist, using the belt hoops in her shorts and fastening the straps to her right leg. The pack was made of very supple dark gray leather, and had a steampunk look to it, something that had immediately attracted her.

"Oh my God, it looks  _awesome_!" cried Megan. "I didn't see them for  _my_  uniform!"

"Maybe they ran out?" suggested Ella.

"No. All the shelves were full. We got a backpack." Megan reached for one of her bags, pulling out the backpack she had bought.

"It's all shiny!" said Summer. "The bags they had for Team Origin were yellow, which is why I chose this. It's not as big, but I won't need much during tournaments."

"We get small satchels," said Ella, holding up her own bag, which was blue and white and only big enough to hold a few Pokéballs, from what Summer could see. "It's cute."

"Do you guys get dresses too?" asked Megan, showing them a pale pink and violet sport dress. "Or did you just get pants and a shirt and stuff?"

"Both," Summer told her. "I just didn't want to buy a dress, or I would have ended up paying so much more than I did. Remember, our money has to last us until the end of the summer." She took the bedding she had bought for Cyndaquil and placed it on her bed. "I sleep over here," she said to the Pokémon. "You can either sleep on this, or sleep with me, it's up to –." She started to laugh as Cyndaquil hopped onto the bed and buried herself under the covers. "That answers that question."

"Awe, look at that. I wonder if Rowlet will sleep in my bed, or if it would rather sleep elsewhere."

Ella was already making the bed in the back of the trailer, with Piplup chirping excitedly.

"How do you make the bed that's here, Summer?"

"Oh, easy. It's a hideaway bed, so all you have to do is pull those handles right there, and the bed will come out." Summer did just that, pulling the bed from where it had been beneath the dining area bench. It was already made with fresh sheets, and only missed the pillow, which was in another drawer.

" _I love it_!" cried Megan in such a shrill voice that Rowlet answered her. She immediately lay down, "Oh, it's soft! I think I'll sleep very well here. I won't get stuck, will I?"

Summer shook her head, "No. If you hit that latch on the side, it'll stop the rolling mechanism. You'll even have enough space for Rowlet's bed, or you can put it in that corner over there."

Megan did just that, and Rowlet flew to it, hooting gently.

"Looks like they're all happy. I guess that's all that matters, right?"

"I agree." Summer started as Cyndaquil hopped on her shoulder again, nuzzling her. Smiling, she opened one of the windows, inhaling the fresh air coming from the lake. It was a beautiful day.

She moved from the window and grabbed her laptop, pulling up a roadmap.

"I've been checking which routes we should take across the U.S. I took into account the Pokémon's habitats, as best I could, anyway. It takes about ten hours to get to Washington from here, if we want to try it in one day." She traced the route on the map, showing it to the others.

"We're not going to stop along the way?"

Summer smiled at Ella, "Of course we are. I don't want to drive nonstop for ten hours, especially since we have five days to get there. But we can leave today and see which Pokémon we can find along the way."

"I thought you said that we should wait before we catch any Pokémon," said Megan.

"I did. But I also realized that I personally need to have eighteen Pokémon before the end of the year. You guys also have requirements to fulfill. But even if we don't catch anything, we can see what there is, and document it for our teams. I should really work on my team profile, actually."

It turned out that they all needed to do that, so they spent an hour on their laptops, getting to know some of their teammates and getting information about where certain types of Pokémon could be found around the country. Summer was happy to find that the route they would be taking to Washington offered plenty of opportunities to get Pokémon.

Before turning off her computer, she took Cyndaquil in her arms and snapped a picture with it, using it as her profile picture. Most of the members of her team had done the same thing with their Pokémon, and the variety was astounding. One guy had a picture with a Tyranitar, something that both awed and terrified her.

The enormity of the kind of journey she'd started on hit her.

"Cyndaquil, how are we supposed to beat people with Pokémon like that?"

"Pokémon like what?" wondered Megan.

"Dragon Pokémon like Dragonite and Haxorus."

"Well, if they're on your team, you're not going to have to beat them, are you?"

"I meant in general. You know that there are trainers out there with very strong Pokémon. How are we supposed to beat them?"

Ella glanced over at her, "Your Cyndaquil will evolve into Typhlosion, won't it? That's a really strong Pokémon, and you'll be able to beat grass types easily. Every Pokémon has a weakness when it comes to battling."

Summer knew that Ella was right, but she couldn't help but wonder how she was going to get through everything. Cyndaquil nuzzled her, making a little sound, almost as if to say that everything was going to be okay. She smiled a little, turning off her laptop and setting it back on its charger. It was almost noon.

"Do you guys want to eat anything? We have so much food that we don't even need to buy stuff from the store."

"What kind of sandwiches did your mother make?"

"Turkey salad sandwiches. She's already experimenting with turkey recipes for Thanksgiving, so she had some left over from the restaurant."

"Yum!" said Ella. "My mom just made regular tuna sandwiches."

"I love your mom's tuna sandwiches," said Megan. "She uses celery bits in them."

"What about your parents, Megan?"

Megan smiled, "Pastrami."

Summer's stomach began to growl, "So, how many sandwiches do we have?" She opened the fridge and laughed, "Did they all make four sandwiches? Were they afraid we were going to starve or something?"

"Assuming we only eat one sandwich per meal, that's going to last us until Monday," said Ella.

"No it won't," Megan told her, laughing as well. "Trust me, we're going to finish them by tomorrow."

"I guess we'd better get started then…"

Choosing which sandwich they were going to eat, the girls took their food outside, also taking something for the Pokémon.

Megan picked up the can of food that Summer had taken for Cyndaquil, "That looks pretty generic for them, doesn't it?"

"It's what they had in the store. I read on my team's site that there are workshops that teach trainers how to make their own Pokémon food. I'm thinking about attending one of them."

"I thought that Pokémon could eat pretty much anything that we did?"

"But some foods are better for them than others." Summer poured the food for Cyndaquil, Piplup, and Rowlet, and watched them as they began to eat. "Is it good?"

Cyndaquil looked at her and nodded enthusiastically.

"That's something at least. But I'd like to be able to make my own food for them as well."

"It sounds like a good idea. We should see whether there are any workshops like that while we travel. It might be cheaper for us to make the food ourselves."

Ella took a bite of pastrami sandwich, "I don't know about that. We would have to get all the ingredients and everything."

"Wait, don't Pokémon also eat regular fruit like apples?" Megan took out her phone and began looking for internet articles, "Yeah, listen to this!  _Apple farmers have found that their revenues have increased due to the demand of their fruit for Pokémon_. They'll also eat any kind of berry."

"Some of them eat meat as well, I'd guess," said Ella. "I can't imagine a Pokémon like Aerodactyl only eating fruit."

"I guess that if we're not sure, it'll be best to always keep a supply of Pokémon food with us." She swallowed her bite of sandwich, then went very still. "Oh…"

"Why are you –." Megan turned around, stifling laughter as she saw what Summer was looking at. "Oh, look at that, it's the guy you say you're not in love with. Hey, we could invite him to sit down with us."

"Are you  _insane_?" hissed Summer. But Megan had already called out to him. Mortified, Summer kept her gaze focused on Cyndaquil.

The boy turned his head to look at them. Out of the corner of her eyes, Summer saw that he appeared slightly surprised at being addressed as 'blonde kid'.

"Yeah, you! Come on over!"

With a frown, he walked over slowly. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, we were just wondering whether you wanted to share our meal with us. We have plenty to spare."

Summer had to hand it to Megan: the girl had guts.

"Um, I already ate, but thanks."

His voice sounded cold, like the opening of a crypt door. Summer suddenly couldn't finish her sandwich, her mouth having gone completely dry.

"We saw you earlier in the police station parking lot with your Snivy," said Ella. "Did you go get all your stuff from the Pokémon store?"

The boy simply nodded, and before Ella could say anything else, he held up a hand, "I should go. See you girls around."

"Have a great day!" Megan told him brightly.

He glanced at Summer, who only managed a partial smile, then turned around, leaving them where they were.

As soon as he was out of sight, Summer let out a breath, "Oh my God, that was mortifying. What were you thinking?"

"I was just being friendly! He must be from around here if he went shopping at our store. I wonder what school he goes to."

"He's really cute," said Ella. "I'd even go as far as to say that he's hot. But he doesn't seem all that friendly."

Summer picked up her sandwich, wrapping it again. "I think he was probably surprised at being spoken to like that." She could feel her cheeks reddening.

"Like what? All I did was offer him some food. Guys normally love that."

Ella nodded towards Summer's half-finished sandwich, "You're not going to eat anymore? Summer, really… what's gotten into you?"

"I have no idea."

"You really… wow, Summer, you really like this kid. Just like that?"

Summer put her head down on the table, closing her eyes. She'd never reacted that way to a boy before. Sure, she'd had a crush or two, but her last relationship had ended in disaster, which had been one of the driving reasons behind this summer road trip to catch Pokémon.

She'd promised herself that she would be more careful with boys from that point on, and yet… the sight of this boy had sent her heart racing in all kinds of different ways.

"Love at first sight," said Megan. "I've seen it happen."

"It's not  _love_ ," whispered Summer. "I don't believe in that, anyway. Besides, I don't even know him."

"Sometimes, that really doesn't matter. It happened to my dad. He said that the first time he saw my mom, even before he spoke to her, he fell in love with her. It wasn't gradual, he said it hit him like a thunderbolt."

"It's what they call it in French, isn't it?" asked Ella. " _Coup de foudre."_

Shaking her head, Summer stood up, "Whatever they call it, it's not my case. I'm not in love. I just… I don't know what's going on. I'm going back inside, I wanna lie down for a minute before we go."

"Okay. We'll be right in."

"Take your time."

Summer extended her arm, and Cyndaquil immediately climbed onto her shoulder. Together, they went back inside the RV. She felt dizzy, the world literally spinning around her. For a moment, she thought she was going to faint. But the feeling passed, and soon, she was stretched out on her bed, asleep.


End file.
